RADA / Leonardo DRS
Table of Contents

⚠ Disclaimer: This entry may be incomplete, out of date, or inaccurate. It is AI-maintained on a best-effort basis. Do not rely on it as a sole source — verify claims independently using the sources listed below.

Summary

RADA Electronic Industries, an Israeli radar maker, is now DRS RADA Technologies, a segment of Leonardo DRS (NYSE: DRS). Its Multi-Mission Hemispheric Radar (MHR) family — including the RPS-42 and RPS-82 variants — is a non-rotating, solid-state, software-defined 4D AESA pulse-Doppler radar line built on a digital MIMO radar architecture: multiple transmitters broadcasting distinguishable waveforms and multiple receivers correlating them into virtual radar channels for high-resolution 4D (azimuth, elevation, range, velocity) imaging. This entry is distinct from a dedicated C-UAS product vendor like Advanced Protection Systems: RADA/Leonardo DRS radar is frequently sold as a sensor component integrated into other companies’ systems — most notably, an RPS-82 variant is the AESA radar DroneShield integrated into its DroneSentry fixed-site C-UAS system (see DroneShield).

Key Facts

  • HQ: Netanya, Israel (RADA); parent Leonardo DRS is US/Italy-linked (NYSE: DRS)
  • Type: Company — radar hardware, now a Leonardo DRS business segment
  • Product family: Multi-Mission Hemispheric Radar (MHR), including RPS-42, RPS-82, and next-generation variants (nMHR, ieMHR, exMHR)
  • Architecture: Software-defined, 4D AESA (active electronically scanned array) pulse-Doppler radar using GaN (gallium nitride) amplifiers and a digital MIMO radar architecture (per patent filings: multiple transmit waveforms, multiple receivers, virtual-channel correlation)
  • Stated detection range: ~3.5 km for smallest (“nano”) UAV class (RPS-42)
  • Mission set: Detects, classifies, and tracks all aerial vehicle classes — fighters, helicopters, UAVs, transport aircraft — plus counter-UAS and short-range air defense (SHORAD) roles
  • Known integration: RPS-82 variant integrated into DroneShield’s DroneSentry fixed-site C-UAS system (2025)
  • Export activity: Reported supply of RPS-42 aerial surveillance radar systems to an undisclosed Asian country

How It Works

MHR-family radars use a planar, non-rotating AESA antenna with direct RF sampling and digital beamforming, built on what Leonardo DRS’s own patent filings describe as a flexible MIMO radar architecture — multiple transmitters each carrying distinguishable waveforms, multiple receivers, and signal processing that correlates transmit/receive pairs into a larger set of virtual radar channels than the physical antenna count would otherwise support. This is what enables the “4D” claim (azimuth, elevation, range, and Doppler/velocity) in a compact, software-defined, Modular Open System Architecture (MOSA) package that can be reconfigured for different missions (search, track-while-scan, fire control) without new hardware. Because the radar is software-defined and modular, Leonardo DRS positions it as a component other integrators — vehicle platforms, fixed-site C-UAS vendors like DroneShield — can embed into a larger system rather than only selling it as a standalone end-user product.

Notable Developments

  • 2025: DroneShield integrates an RPS-82 AESA radar (RADA/Leonardo DRS lineage) into its DroneSentry fixed-site C-UAS suite, improving detection range and 4D tracking capability
  • Ongoing: Leonardo DRS continues to expand the MHR family with next-generation variants (nMHR, ieMHR, exMHR) emphasizing wideband operation, direct RF sampling, and planar transmit/receive architecture
  • Export: RPS-42 systems reportedly supplied to an undisclosed Asian country for aerial surveillance

Limitations

  • Component supplier, not always visible to end users: Like Echodyne elsewhere in this section, much of RADA/Leonardo DRS’s reach into the drone-detection market comes through integration into other vendors’ branded products (e.g., DroneShield), which can make independent, deployment-specific performance verification harder
  • MIMO branding is technical/patent-level, not consumer marketing: Leonardo DRS markets these radars primarily as “4D AESA” or “software-defined” rather than leading with “MIMO” in customer-facing material; the MIMO architecture claim in this entry is drawn from patent filings and technical descriptions rather than product brochures
  • Large defense-contractor structure: As a Leonardo DRS segment, contract values, customer lists, and technical specifications are less transparent than for smaller venture-backed peers in this section

Sources

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